Couple who scattered woman’s body parts in UK park sentenced to life imprisonment
A human bone belonging to Sarah Mayhew was found by a dog in April last year, before police found arms, legs, and a head nearby - more than a month later her limbless torso was found in a river.
A double murderer has been jailed for life alongside his partner for killing an innocent woman and dumping her dismembered body in a park.
Steve Sansom was already a convicted murderer and was out on licence when he killed Sarah Mayhew, 38, and dumped her remains in Rowdown Fields, in south London, last spring. He and his partner Gemma Watts, 49, admitted murdering Ms Mayhew between March 7 and April 3, and perverting the course of justice by dismembering Ms Mayhew’s body, distributing the parts at “various locations” and cleaning up the scene.
Sansom, 45, is believed to have used the profile name of Red Rum on Facebook, which is "murder" spelled backwards. Last March 10, a month before mother-of-two Ms Mayhew was found, a post appeared on the Red Rum account saying: “Best friends are those who don’t say anything when you show up at their door with a dead body. They just grab a shovel and follow you.”
Sarah Mayhew was murdered
Gemma Watts faces life behind bars
Today, during sentencing Mrs Justice Cutts said: "Sarah Mayhew had a difficult life. But her greatest misfortune was to know the two of you." She sentenced Samson to a whole life order meaning he will die in jail and Watts was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 29 years and 90 days behind bars.
The defendants were said to have known Ms Mayhew, who lived in New Addington, on the outskirts of Croydon. Watts, of Featherbed Lane, New Addington, pleaded guilty to murder and perverting the course of justice, but denied three charges of making indecent images of a child, which will lie on the court file.
At a previous hearing for Watts, prosecutor Tom Little KC said: “The prosecution case here is that on the night of March 8 the victim was murdered in the co-defendant’s (Sansom’s) property, with both the defendants being present, and thereafter there was both a significant clear-up operation and the disposal of the body of the deceased.”
A court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Steve Samson
A court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Gemma Watts
A human bone belonging to Ms Mayhew had been discovered on the morning of April 2 last year by a dogwalker and their pooch. Police were called to the scene, and arms, legs, and a head found nearby were confirmed to be Sarah’s following DNA testing. Her limbless torso was discovered by contractors carrying out cleaning work in the River Wandle in Mitcham, on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 21.
During the sentencing hearing today Mr Little KC played CCTV footage that shows how Steven Sansom and Gemma Watts attempted to hide the body. The videos shows them going to Rowdown Fields in New Addington, where Sarah Mayhew’s arms and legs were found. The couple then headed to the River Wandle in Mitcham, where Sansom was spotted by someone who knew him from fishing and giving Sansom haircuts. Mr Little told the court: "Sansom seemed less talkative than usual, and the conversation was rather awkward". The man also said ’it seemed strange’ when Sansom asked him what he was doing, and last remembered the defendants facing a bush.
The judge told Sansom: "It’s clear Sarah was murdered in that flat that night. Precisely what happened cannot be known... but [the messaging] leaves me in no doubt you lured Sarah to that flat for violent and depraved activity. Her fear and suffering must have been acute." Addressing Watt she added: "She was an innocent woman lured to that flat to die in order for you to act out your bloodthirsty and wicked fantasies."
Sansom is facing his second life sentence, having been jailed in May 1999 after admitting the murder and robbery of a minicab driver on Christmas Eve the previous year, when he ordered a cab to take him home from East Croydon. The victim in that case, 59-year-old married father-of-two Terence Boyle, had crawled from his cab after Sansom attacked him and stole £25 to buy presents. Sansom, then 20, laughed afterwards and told a friend: “His kids are going to have to see him in hospital over Christmas.”
He was freed from prison on licence in 2019 after his case was considered by the Parole Board, and was under probation supervision when he killed for a second time. The Ministry of Justice has confirmed a serious further offence review was under way.
They will both also serve a concurrent sentence of five years for perverting the course of justice.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
